


Obviate - Tony Version

by cutsycat



Series: Dictionary.Com Word of the Day Drabbles [1349]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-09-23 10:09:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20338402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cutsycat/pseuds/cutsycat
Summary: Tony gets an unpleasant surprise from the chief in Baltimore that forces him to accept Gibbs' offer to work at NCIS. In the end, though, working for Gibbs ends up being the best decision Tony ever made.





	Obviate - Tony Version

**Author's Note:**

> Another dictionary.com word of the day drabble. This time from 01/09/2003 for the word [obviate](http://www.dictionary.com/wordoftheday/2003/01/09/obviate).
> 
> obviate[ ob-vee-eyt ]  
verb (used with object), ob·vi·at·ed, ob·vi·at·ing.  
to anticipate and prevent or eliminate (difficulties, disadvantages, etc.) by effective measures; render unnecessary:  
to obviate the risk of serious injury.
> 
> This is for prompt #2 of the March 2019 Five Prompts Challenge located [here](https://ncis-discuss.livejournal.com/190879.html). I went a little crazy and included all the prompts, so I just hope that the story isn't terrible because of this.

"DiNozzo!"

"Chief?"

"Get in here."

"Yes, chief."

"You know things haven't really been working out here, right?"

"What?” Tony stared at the chief in shock before explaining, “ I thought I was solving cases like everyone else."

"But you're not like everyone else, are you DiNozzo?"

"Chief?"

"Oh don't give me that look. I know all about your extracurriculars. We don't need your kind here."

"What? But chief." Tony had no idea what the chief was going on about. He hadn’t had any bad performance reviews to his knowledge.

"Don't. Just don't. You're not a bad person and I gave you a good reference when that Navy cop asked about you, but you better shape up with him. This is your last chance, so don't mess it up. Now get out of here and take your things. Gibbs is expecting you to start on Monday."

Tony left the chief's office in a daze. What the hell was going on? Had Gibbs gotten him fired somehow? 

He hadn't even accepted Gibbs' offer to work for him. This didn't make any sense. As he made his way back to his desk, the jeers of the other officers greeted him and slowly the shape of what had happened began to form.

"Fag."

"Twink."

Apparently, one of his pick-ups had blabbed and the chief had been only too happy to use that as an excuse to get rid of him. He wondered who, but it really didn't matter since it looked like he was moving to Washington, DC, courtesy of a nosy NCIS agent.

He couldn’t help speculating about what the chief meant by this being his last chance, however. Was the chief really suggesting that if he didn’t keep things on the downlow at NCIS that he would never find a job in law enforcement again? That wasn’t right, but if that were the case Tony couldn’t do much except make a big stink if it happened to him and try to force a change.

He really hoped that it didn’t come to that. Ignoring the other officers and their insults, Tony quickly packed up his desk and left the Baltimore Police Station. He couldn’t say he was sorry to go, he’d just found out his partner was a dirty cop thanks to Gibbs, again. 

This would, at least, solve his problem of what to do about that. He suspected the chief was also dirty, but he didn’t have any proof of that. What he could do, though, was turn in his partner with the evidence that Gibbs and he had found.

He didn’t know if it would do any good, but it was the best he could do for right now. With that thought in mind, Tony stopped off at the local FBI office and handed over all the information and proof he had on Danny and his dirty dealings. He then continued home or well to what he’d called home for the eighteen months he’d worked at Baltimore.

He would really have to give Gibbs a piece of his mind once he got to NCIS, being expected to report on Monday after being terminated on Friday in a different city was insane. He didn’t even have a place to live in DC. Nor did he have any idea how he could afford any of the housing there. 

Baltimore wasn’t cheap, but it was still less expensive than DC and with the cloud hanging over his head regarding his departure from the Baltimore PD who knew what that would do to his salary at NCIS. That’s assuming that the chief wasn’t lying about Gibbs expecting him on Monday.

He supposed he should be grateful that he still had a job, but he really wasn’t happy with his current circumstances at all. Not to mention that Wendy would be pissed that he was moving, even though it hadn’t been his choice in the slightest. He’d thought he had the perfect beard with her, but something told him she wasn’t going to be willing to move to DC. 

He regretted the decision he’d made to make such a big change to his life as to include a beard in it now. The whole reason for dating Wendy was to prevent speculation like this, but it obviously didn’t work. He had a new start now and he promised himself that he wasn’t going to try to hide anymore.

Or well he wasn’t going to go looking for another beard. He wasn’t planning on shouting he was gay from the rooftops either, but well if he found someone he was serious with he wasn’t going to hide it either. Better to be condemned for what he was than to try to hide it and get found out anyway.

He finally finished packing his stuff up. He really didn’t have much. He could actually fit it all in his car, which was helpful given the speed with which he was expected to move, though, it was also kind of sad. 

He’d been moving too frequently recently. He hadn’t had a chance to settle down and accumulate stuff. He really hoped that it would be different this time.

Still he didn’t have time to look into where he should live or anything. So tomorrow he would pack the car and drive to Washington, DC and grab a hotel relatively close to his work and hope that he had time to find a place to stay permanently before the hotel bill broke him. This was not at all how he’d expected to move on from Baltimore.

The first day on the job at NCIS was both what he expected and not at the same time. Gibbs made no qualms about expecting him to give his best 100% of the time. On the other hand the guy had told him he didn’t waste good and that Tony was good. 

They hadn’t exactly talked about Tony’s proclivities, so Tony wasn’t sure if that was going to be an issue. Gibbs didn’t seem like he thought Tony might be contagious or anything and he didn’t give off the vibe of gay bashing, which had been obvious to Tony the moment he’d walked through the doors in Baltimore. That vibe had been one of the main reasons he’d decided to get a beard. 

It wasn’t easy working for Gibbs. The guy seemed to have an insane need to order people around, but all things considered Tony felt he was doing pretty good at his new job. They were solving cases and he was getting used to Gibbs’ bark. 

He still had no idea what the chief had been talking about with this being his last chance. Nothing remotely sinister had happened or even been hinted at and he couldn’t help wondering if the chief had been blowing smoke up his ass to scare him just because he could. After a horrible case involving a kidnapped Navy Lieutenant’s kid that they weren’t able to rescue in time, Gibbs invited Tony over to his place for drinks.

It was the first time that his boss had invited him to do anything outside of work and Tony contemplated if he would be able to find out some things that had been bothering him like if his boss knew about his sexual orientation or why his boss always ordered him around. Maybe he could even find out who the redhead was that picked him up sometimes. Maybe it was a mistake, but Tony accepted and soon found himself drinking bourbon in Gibbs’ basement.

He couldn’t help staring at the wooden structure that was in the middle of Gibbs’ basement. “What’s that?”

“What does it look like?”

“Are you building a boat?”

Gibbs grunted.

“How are you going to get it out?”

Gibbs shrugged.

“Do you ever take them out on the water?”

Gibbs got a wistful look in his eye. “Sometimes.”

The conversation petered off there and they both returned to their bourbon. Tired of the silence and drunk enough to think it was a good idea, Tony asked, “Why do you always order me around?”

Gibbs gave him one of those looks that always made Tony feel like a complete idiot and replied, “I’m the boss.”

“Is that outside of work too?” Tony raised an eyebrow, challengingly.

“Depends who’s asking. You looking for a spanking or something, boy?”

Tony shook his head. “Nope. Just trying to understand you.”

“Why?”

Tony shrugged. “You’re not like the other guys on the police force. I’m not sure why.”

“So you think I’m kinky?”

Tony shrugged again. “Isn’t everyone at some point in time or another?”

Gibbs didn’t answer, which was answer enough itself.

In fact, while Gibbs hadn’t said it, Tony was pretty sure Gibbs knew that Tony was more bent than straight and if this conversation was anything to go by Tony thought Gibbs might even be interested in something with him. However, even with the alcohol coursing through his veins he wasn’t quite ready to chance something tonight. There was still a lot that he didn’t know about Gibbs and he wanted to know more before he went down that path.

In fact, it was probably time for him to leave. Tony stood up. He was a bit wobbly, but he could do it. 

“You should take the couch.”

Tony looked at his feet, which couldn’t seem to walk straight, and agreed, “That’s probably a good idea.”

Tony woke the next morning to the smell of bacon and eggs and potatoes too he would guess. Whatever it was, it smelled really good and he couldn’t wait to try it. He wandered into the kitchen in just his boxers. “How long til that’s ready?”

“Probably another 5 minutes or so.”

“Anything I can help with?”

Gibbs shook his head and Tony settled down at the table instead of crowding Gibbs in the kitchen. They ate breakfast together in silence and Tony eventually took his leave to head back to the apartment he’d found, so that he could shower and change for work. Tony wouldn’t say things were easy at work, but he had finally figured out how to obviate Gibbs’ temper.

Talking to the LEOs, so that Gibbs didn’t have to deal with stupid people. Intercepting people before they could do something dumb in front of Gibbs, it was a full time job in and of itself not counting actually trying to solve cases. Of course, then Gibbs had to go and add on another agent to their team. 

Tony quickly found that he couldn’t prevent the new agent, Kate, from doing dumb things in front of Gibbs. He had to learn a new way to handle Gibbs’ temper. So he started using pranks and humor to redirect Gibbs’ ire to him. 

It wasn’t fun, but it worked. Of course, Gibbs wasn’t stupid. He noticed what Tony was doing. 

“DiNozzo. My place. 7pm.”

Tony nodded, but inside he wondered what Gibbs was up to. Still Tony arrived at Gibbs’ house at the appointed time as ordered. Gibbs really needed to work on that ordering thing. 

Gibbs entered the house to find Gibbs’ grilling steaks, the aroma permeating the air and making Tony’s mouth water.

“Gibbs.”

“DiNozzo.” Gibbs nodded to the couch.

Tony took the hint and took a seat. “So what’s this about?”

“Why are you playing the fool now that Kate joined the team?”

Tony shrugged, “I didn’t want you to kill her for her idiocy.”

“Is that really what you think of me? You think that I’d kill someone at the drop of the hat because they were too stupid?”

”Well no, but you’re no fun to be around when you’re frustrated and angry.”

“Don’t ever stop trying to make me smile, Tony,” Gibbs murmured softly.

“Eh?” Tony asked not sure he’d heard Gibbs right.

“You know I’ve never told anyone this before, but I’m bi,” Gibbs blurted out of the blue.

“Wait. What’s going on here, Gibbs?”

“It’s Jethro.”

“Was this supposed to be a date, Jethro? You should have told me I would have brought some wine.”

“No, but I would like to take you out on a date.”

“What about work? What about Kate?”

“Stop acting the fool at work and it will be fine. Kate won’t even notice and neither will anyone else.”

“Since when do you even have feelings for me?”

“Since Baltimore.”

“What? But you never said anything.”

“Of course not. I knew how things ended with you and your old chief. I didn’t want to pressure you and make you feel like you had to be in a relationship with me to stay on the team. You don’t think that now, do you?”

Tony shook his head. “Nah. It’s just a surprise. I hadn’t even considered it since you spend all your time ordering me around.”

“Not even that time you were drunk at my house?”

“Nope. I’m not a saint. I was just pushing your buttons to figure out if you knew I was gay or not.”

“And what did you figure out?”

“That you did and you didn’t care.”

“Well that’s not exactly true. I did care because it meant you might be interested in me back like I was in you.”

“Well let’s take things slow and see if we fit. After all, I’m well acquainted with your bastard personality at work and that’s not going to fly in a relationship with me.”

Gibbs nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

He dished up the steaks and they ate in silence, but it was a comfortable one. One of friends and maybe something more. “So can I kiss you now?” Gibbs asked once they’d both finished their food.

“Leroy, I’m home!” Jackson Gibbs announced as he walked through the door.

Tony’s eyes grew wide as he stared between father and son. 

Gibbs glared at Jackson. “Now’s not really a good time, dad.”

“Oh, I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“You are,” Gibbs growled.

Tony waved a hand dismissively. “It’s fine. I was just leaving anyway. I’ll see you at work, Gibbs.”

Gibbs turned his glower to Tony, but Tony just waved cheerfully and exited the house. He wasn’t sure if he should be thankful for Mr. Gibbs’ interruption or sad that he’d have to wait to find out how good of a kisser Gibbs was. Heck, he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to know how good Gibbs kissed.

He’d definitely found Gibbs attractive back in Baltimore, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to get involved with someone who prided himself on being a bastard at work. If they didn’t start a relationship, but Tony knew Gibbs was a good kisser that could be a problem. It would make him wonder and maybe regret not being in a relationship with Gibbs, so he was better off not knowing.

Of course, Gibbs wasn’t giving up that easily. Strange gifts started showing up on Tony’s desk and at his apartment. Like a Minnie Mouse stapler appeared next to his Mickey Mouse stapler and he found flowers left in front of his door, it was the weirdest thing.

He knew they were from Gibbs; the short and to the point notes made that clear. He knew Gibbs was trying to woo him with them, but that didn’t make them any less odd. He’d never had someone try to court him like this.

Still they were cute and he liked them. It was just very strange. When Gibbs finally left him a note asking him to meet at 7pm at Mario’s, Tony had to say yes. 

Even if he still wasn’t sure about a relationship with the guy, he deserved a chance. The notes and gifts never failed to make Tony smile and cheer him up no matter how much of a bastard Gibbs had been or how bad the case had been that day. Of course, that didn’t mean the date went smoothly. 

Gibbs’ father showed up randomly half way through their dinner and insisted on joining them. Tony raised his eyebrow and looked at Gibbs, who glared at his father, who cheerfully ignored it and proceeded to chat Tony up instead. Tony was used to disapproving father’s, who were convinced that Tony wasn’t right for their little girl or that Tony had corrupted their son, but this was like nothing that he’d ever experienced before.

That seemed to set a pattern. Every time Tony and Gibbs tried to go on a date, Jackson would show up. Tony couldn’t even be mad because Jackson was kind of awesome, but it was way past coincidence now especially since Jaskon lived in Stillwater, Pennsylvania not DC.

Tony kept waiting for Gibbs to snap. He knew the guy was pissed that their romantic evenings kept getting interrupted and Gibbs wasn’t the kind of guy to let things go especially not family, so Tony was sure things were coming to a head or that Gibbs was going to do something drastic to prevent his father from interrupting them. Gibbs was a little growlier at work due to this, but seemed to be handling it well all things considered.

Tony was amused and frustrated at the same time. He was even more amused when Gibbs invited him over to his house and proceeded to lock not only the front door, which he never did, but also the back door and all the windows and anything else that was lockable. He even closed the shades.

Tony couldn’t help grinning. Gibbs glanced over and saw it and grumbled, “What? My dad keeps interrupting us.”

“He does,” Tony agreed.

“This time he won’t,” Gibbs announced.

Tony simply smiled and didn’t say anything. He suspected that Jackson would find a way if he wanted to, but he had also gotten the feeling that Jackson was mostly doing this to tweak Gibbs’ tail and see if Gibbs were really serious about Tony. When Gibbs stepped closer to Tony and pulled him in for a kiss, Tony let him.

More than that, he kissed back. Gibbs was definitely a good kisser and Tony didn’t regret entering into a relationship with him even if Jackson seemed determined to interrupt them every chance he got. In fact, Tony didn’t even regret the way he left Baltimore anymore. 

This may have been his last chance, but it was the best chance he ever took. Everything about his life was better than it had been in Baltimore and to top it off, he’d heard that the chief had gotten arrested, so really Tony had the last laugh on that one.

**Author's Note:**

> The dictionary.com series has no stories already written for it after this one, so I will be posting at least no more stories before I stop posting again. I'm hoping to get more stories written before then, so that I don't stop posting for a while. Wish me luck! 
> 
> It's 2019 now and I have closed my 2018 Prompt collection, but fear not my 2019 Prompt Collection is now open [here](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/cutsycat_NCIS_Prompts_2019/profile). Just click the sign up link. ;) It will remain open until the beginning of 2020. I'm hoping to complete all the 2019 prompts by the end of 2020. Do not fear I have not forgotten about the 2018 prompts and will continue working through them. It's just easier for me to not get overwhelmed if I keep the prompts separated by the year they were given to me.
> 
> If you are not an ao3 member, you can prompt me [here](http://cutsycat.livejournal.com/50701.html). Please follow the same rules as are listed in the above link. However, because this is a handmade prompt form(that thinks it's a poll), it is considerably more limited than what ao3 provides, so please use the ao3 form if you're an ao3 member. Please note the name option is for a name that I can say this is for so that you know it's for you. Since this is for non ao3 members it won't be true gifts, but you will be mentioned in the notes. Please note if you have already voted in the poll and would like to request more stories you can just add a comment to the poll. Please include the name along with the prompt, so that I can appropriately gift the prompt to you.
> 
> For any authors that want to chat and/or are looking for a place where they can toss plot ideas around and get input from people, you can come join my discord server that is specifically geared towards writing/encouraging people to write and authors. The invite link is [here](https://discord.gg/HFvwpCq). If you're not an author, but want to chat with me about writing/stories or anything else you are welcome to join. I reserve the right to boot you from my server if all you do is pester me about updates, however. *grin* Really anyone who wants to talk about writing and/or plot ideas for various stories is welcome to join. 
> 
> Also, Drakonyashka has translated a couple of my works into Russian. [Tutelage](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12378780) and [Imbue](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12378840). Go support them. 


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